Land-record card-index.



G. W. BALL, JR. LAND RECORD CARD INDEX.

APPLICATION FILED MAR- 13, 1911.

1,012,586; 7 Patented Dec.26,1911.

D F LJ y-Z NEz' 2 (/fiI'EdJfaTes 72; I I ETh/e/G Lye n 8190-7 Nwi 42M 2% W l v whom parcel or part of the subdivision and tract t0 designate a certain portion of the said GEORGE WASHINGTON BALL,

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JR., OF IOWA CITY, IOWA.

LAND-RECORD CARD-INDEX.

Application filed March 13,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BALL, Jr., citizen of the United States, residing at Iowa City, in the county of Johnson and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Land-Record Card-Indexes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to land record card indexes, and has for its object the production of cards of special construction relating to given subdivisions of a certain larger tract of land, and bearing numbers arranged in a particular order whereby a still smaller may be indicated, the special construction of the cards, one of which is employed for each instrument recorded, enabling the title searcher to select by inspection, and to handle only those cards bearing data concerning the subdivision in which his examination is to be made.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the special construction of cards used, and the inscriptions thereon, for different pieces of land or other property indexed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 1 represents a card before use. Fig. 2 is a face view of a card formed in accordance with this invention as shown in Fig. 1, originally, but having parts cut away, in order that it may indicate a given subdivision of a larger tract, for example, the northeast quarter of a section of land. Fig. 3 shows this invention with parts cut away to indicate the southeast quarter of the section, with numbers thereon in accordance with this invention arranged to designate a certain portion of the said southeast quarter. Fig. 4 shows the face of a card having portions cut away whereby the card may indicate the northwest quarter of the section, with numbers thereon arranged northwest quarter of the section. Fig. 5' shows a card having portions cut away in order that the card may indicate the southwest quarter of the section. Fig. 6 shows a card as illustrated in Fig. 1, bearing numbers arranged in accordance with this invention, and showing by its construction that it bears datarelating to a plurality of the quarter sections mentioned and portions thereof. I

The same letter is employed to refer to Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

1911. Serial No. 614,034.

the same part throughout the description and drawings. I

The card A is customarily divided by vertical and cross lines as shown, to receive, ordinarily on the left side, the names of the grantor and grantee, and on the right, the character of the instrument recorded and such information as may be essential concerning it, with other data identifying the piece of land affected.

Each card A is formed with a middle rectangular extension B, usually the largest, and other extensions C, D, E, and F, arranged in order as illustrated, all the extensions being upon the same edge of the card.

On the middle extension B of the card it is usual in practice to indicate the section, township and range to which the set of cards relates. Thus, in the drawings, the middle extension B is inscribed section 28, township 80, north range 7, and, beneath those .words is ordinarily placed the number of the card in the set of cards. That is to say, as shown, the cards illustrated in Figs. 2 to 6 inclusively, are numbered from 1 to 5.

To place upon the cards in the simplest way the data that will indicate to what part of the given original section the card relates, in accordance with this invention, the northeast quarter-section is designated by the numeral 1, the southeast quarter-section by the numeral 2, the northwest quarter-section by the numeral 3, and the southwest quarter-section by the numeral 4.

In practice, the inscriptions upon the one or more extensions, other than the middle extension B, of the card, in accordance with this invention are arranged in such manner that the numeral denoting the larger piece of land comes first. Thus, considering Fig. 2, it will be observed that the extension on the left hand corner of thecard is marked .12, the number being placed under the letters NE. The number means, the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter-section,

west quarter-section.

the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of the north- The instrument referred to by the card, therefore, relates to that subdivision of the quarter-section.

To indicate the halves of the quarters in accordance with this invention, the representative numerals are arranged in the form of fractions. Thus, taking Fig. 5 into consideration, it will be seen that the inscription upon the extension F, beneath the letters SW., appears as 419;, and would be read, the east half of the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter-section. In other words, taking a quarter-section, for example, the east half thereof would comprise the northeast quarter and the southeast quarter, the first being represented, as explained, by the numeral 1, and the second by the numeral 2, which numerals are ar ranged in the fractional form illustrated. The west half of the quarter-section would comprise the northwest and southwest quarters of the quarter, and would be indicated by the fraction a. In like manner, to denote the north half, comprising the northeast and northwest quarters of the quartersection or of any given quarter) the fraction would be made up as described, of the representative numerals 1 and 3 of those quarters. The south half, comprising the southeast and southwest quarters, would appear as the fraction Fig. 6 is introduced to show that the card may be employed to indicate that the instrument recorded affects various parts of more than one of the quarters of the section. The extensions 0, D, E, and F, are all allowed to remain. From the representative numbers, the reading of the card illustrated,

in Fig. 6 would bethe southwest quarter of the northeast quarter-section, and the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter section, and the west half of the southeast quarter-section, and the north half of the handle those cards only upon which the extension ,0 remained bearing the inscription 143.

From the foregoing it is believed to be now clear that not alone a tract of land, but any original extent chosen of any subject-matter may have its subdivisions indicated by the construction and inscriptions of cards made in accordance with this invention.

Having now described this invention,.

the said extensions bearing inscriptions indicating certain lesser portions of a given subject-matter and including representative numbers to designate the said extensions individually.

3. In a card index, a plurality of cards having separated and detachable extensions on their upper edges, the said extensions being inscribed in regular order to represent the four quarters of a section of land, and the said extensions being also inscribed with characters chosen to represent quarterly divisions of land.

4. In a card index, a plurality of cards having separated and detachable extensions on their upper edges, the said extensions being inscribed in regular order to represent the four quarters of a section of land, and the said extensions being also inscribed with numbers chosen in regular order to represent quarterly divisions of land.

5. In a card index, a plurality of cards having separated and detachable extensions on their upper edges, the said extensions being inscribed in regular order to represent the four quarters of a section of land, and the said card being inscribed with characters differing from those of the inscription first mentioned hereinabove and chosen to represent quarterly divisions of land.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE WASHINGTON BALL, 11;.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

1 4 Washington, I). G. 

